What gun started it for you?

[ebb]

I had a few guns before I was ate up with them, I had a S&W 28 and an Ithica 37. But they didn't really trip my trigger. I saw a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 at the hardware store. i when in there all the time as i was building a house i still live in. I had almost saved the $190 that John had on one of the 4 Marlin 1895s in the rack, when one day the wife said "Your insurance has lapsed and your daughter had an ear infection so i took her to DR Fernandez, your gun money is gone." Most of my money went to the house so it was a long time saving to get enough. At least three more times my gun money went to the Dr. The recession that came with Jimmy carter finally went away and work got better and I qualified for insurance and had more spending cash. i went in to get some drywall screws and one of the 1895s was gone. I told John i would be in next week. Next week i went to get my rifle and they were all gone. john ways he took his friends shooting and they liked the 1895 so much they all came in and got one. After that I could get in the truck on a Saturday and one of the girls would say to my wife " what do you think he will come home with this time?"

 

[sqrlgtr]

Like so many others first was a lever action bb gun. The first "gun" I was allowed to hunt with by myself a 20ga Winchester model 37 shotgun a squirrel snuffing son of a gun lol. First rifle was a little single shot 22 winchester model 120 I think. First center fire was a marlin 336 30/30 I bought myself with burly money, killed my first deer with it. I wished I had never gotten rid of the 30/30 first deer first centerfire I had ,what a DA move, just had to have something better to hunt deer with lol... I do still have the 20ga mod 37 though plus a 410,16,12 to boot...

Just a little side note because this thread has brought back some fond memories. I remember begging my Dad to let me take that 22lr instead of the 20ga shotgun squirrel hunting, but he wouldn't let me said it was more dangerous and I needed to grow up a little more.I was probably 10 years old at the time and was squirrel hunting by myself then. I couldn't figure out why he thought it was more dangerous because I knew what that ol 20ga would do to a squirrel and it made a lot bigger mess then the 22lr did. It finally dawned on me that the 22lr bullet would travel a lot further than shot would lol... I got to use that 22lr soon after I figured out what he was talking about... To be young again...

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Had 22s and BB guns as a kid but the one rifle that really kicked it all off for me was a Browning BLR (lever action) chambered in 257 Roberts. Extremely accurate and a beautiful piece. Killed my first mule deer buck, mule deer doe, and an antelope buck with that rifle on my first year hunting at age 12.

 

[hogpatrol]

 

[JimPag]

My dad told me that on my 16th birthday in 1973 that he would by me any rifle of my choice. We went to Lew Horton's gun shop in Framingham, MA and I picked out a Winchester 94 in 30-30 Winchester. I still have that rifle.

 

[FarmerDave]

Christmas, 1962, almost best gift ever. J C Stevens single shot, 20ga.
Has it's own spot in the safe to this day....

First rifle, 2 years later. Model 1894 32 Special. Do wish I still had that one...

 

[GetReal]

US Rifle M1

My dad taught me to shoot...had a buncha guns around the house, but it was Bill Clinton who got me into guns. When I realized the Prez could bald faced lie to the American ppl, with impugnity and totally without consequence, I knew the first clause of the Second Amendment was essential.

 

[scasa]

I got a pellet gun about age 10 and had several rifles and pistols up until about age 35 then trading for work I wound up with this, actually it was a kit sort of. Charlie made the action ,profiled the barrel(douglas premium) ,threaded and chambered it in .308 ,installed the trigger . then provided the blank for the stock that I made. He taught me a bunch about guns and reloading then retired and moved to Florida . This is the gun that changed everything for me. I could go to the range and pretty consistently put 5 in one ragged hole. Who said only accurate guns are fun was right the never ending quest for accuracy has kept me entertained for the last 30 years. I've made several of my own actions , 6 of them bolt actions , It's like a disease but it's fun. I've only shot in one match, USBR with one of my homemade guns . And no I didn't come in last. 246 12x first match and one day of practice with wind flags and I learned a very important lesson Never shoot in a 1 oclock head wind. but it was fun and someday I'd like to do it again. Now I just compete against myself and enjoy making my own guns.

 

[johnfred1965]

Mom didn't like guns, but I shot friends bb guns as a kid. I guess my first firearms was my Dad's H&R single shot, we celebrated New Years shooting off the porch. The first firearm I could call my own was a Marlin-Glenfield model 60, a hand me down from brother to brother to brother. We shot that thing so much we wore the ejector off, and it would still pop a squirrel at 50 yards!

 

[Knotwild]

My Dad's Colt Woodsman. He would take my brother and me to the town dump to shoot rats.

 

[284winner]

Not that I don't enjoy a long, heated, political debate or the finer points of a Ford vs Chevy type discussion, but it seems like a lot of people on this site are long-term and committed shooters regardless of the discipline we have chosen or that maybe chose us. Be it rifle, pistol, shotgun competition or just recreation. So just wondering how others got started?

I came from a family that did not own firearms, but for some reason I really, really wanted and needed one. Maybe too much exposure to the ample gunplay on The Rifleman, Bonanza, Have Gun - Will Travel, Combat! and others in the 1950s and 60s.Who knows? But, anyway around my 12th birthday I convinced my widowed grandmother and she reluctantly agreed. This was 1967 and she lived in downtown Birmingham, AL. So believe it or not we walked down to the S&H Green Stamp showroom (although not 100% certain, it might have been a Top Value or some other stamp place) and she redeemed enough books of stamps to get me a .22 rifle.

It was a Marlin Model 99 M1 Carbine. I would buy ammo from the nearby Sears & Roebuck store and then ride a bus with rifle in hand out to Ketona Lake near Tarrant City. It's hard to imagine anything like that happening now without numerous law enforcement agencies, SWAT Teams, and Child Protective Services getting involved.

Winchester M100 308 win.

 

[TAJ45]

High Standard Supermatic Military Citation and Series 70 GC National Match for Bullseye. Yes, the GC was marked as stated.
Replaced by a Giles heavy slide 22 years later.

 

[Spoonbill]

My first gun was a Winchester 20 gauge. Still have it. Heck 40 years later I still shoot it.
But my first centerfire rifle was a Savage model 110 in 30 06. Still have it too. Its a 6.5 06 Ackley Improved now. Shooting sports introduced me to so many wonderful people and I have so many wonderful memories. And to think it all started with an old 20 gauge.

 

[snert]

I was with my dad in Wolf's Junk Yard, looking for a headlight for a 55 Dodge pickup (I was 5) and I looked into a junk car that had sunk into the dirt. In the back seat was a Crossman pump up bb gun, with the stock pulled off. I asked dad and he said I could have it. Wolfie didn't charge us. Dad would not let me have BBs. The gun would go off on it's own after three pumps. BUT I WAS IN HEAVEN. At two pumps it would move little bitty gravel stones down the tube and I made LOTS of PPPFFFFFT noises with it. I shot lions (dandy ones) and honeybees off the clover (air) and tore up the world dropping birds (not really) but the pfft noise made the local homing pigeon flock dip and dive when they flew over me. My imagination was fired and an eternity later (I was 7) I got a Daisy 881, then another when I wore it out, then a Winchester 450 (Diana 45) then a 67 Winchester (I was 9), followed by a Model 42 at 12, and an 870 and 700 Varmint Special 222 bought with lawn mowing cash at 15. As time went on I got a Ruger MK2, a 700 VS 22-250, and then it kinda went nuts from there. Totally hooked. Never have enough guns. Enjoy them so much.

All because of a chance encounter with a Crossman 760 discarded in the back of a junk car in 1969

 

[450BM]

Daisy model 99 when I was 5 years old. I think I put a 5 gallon bucket of BB’s through that thing! My first powder burning gun was a Rem 788 in 22-250 when I was 12. Still have it and shoot it frequently 45 years later.

 

[perazziguy]

I don't know if the pic will come through, but for me it was an H&R Topper model in 410. I was about 4 1/2 in 1981 and dad had to help but I was shootin trap before Kindergarten!

 

[Sandstorm]

Late 60s Remington 700 somethin in 6mm ..remember it was a short barrel ..like a
Ranch rifle or somethin..like that. ,,couldnt get enough after that...still looking for another one.

 

[yukonal]

Remington Model 788, in .308 WIN. About '74 or '75.

 

[joshb]

I grew up in the sticks, on a farm. Having guns around was as natural as breathing. Everybody hunted.
Of course I had a Daisy and a 22. Got my first 410 when I was 10 or so and I still have it.
What started me in this accuracy game was my retirement. I needed a hobby so one day I took a few of my guns to the range and shot them. This went on for a few months but I could never get that magic load to make my hunters shoot Bugholes.
A kid I knew told me to buy a Remington 5R in 308. He said it would shoot so I did. I made up some test loads and went to the range to sight in my new gun and scope. I shot this 5 shot group during my sight in at 50 yards. I was hooked and off to the races!

 

[MGYSGT]

Daisy pump bb rifle.